Para World Cham­pi­onship: Austria lose opener against France 1:3

All Austria games at the Para World Championship Group C will be streamed on LIVE.eishockey.at!

Austria were caught cold by the French right from the start. France took only 16 seconds from the opening face-off to take a 1:0 lead. The first World Championship goal had been scored, but unfortunately against Austria.

Austria's opening opponents remained the dominant team and were closer to 2:0 than the red-white-red were to an equaliser. Austria showed a completely different side in the second period, putting France under pressure and deservedly equalising after two and a half minutes. Kai Habeler intercepted a wayward French clearance directly in front of the opposing goal and scored Austria's first goal of this World Championship.

France pushed for a renewed lead afterwards, virtually pinning Austria inside their own defensive zone. It was only towards the end of the second period that Austria were able to relieve the pressure more often and create several good chances again.

The teams went into the final period at 1:1, before France made it 2:1 on a counter-attack in the 37th minute. Austria battled fiercely for an equaliser, but then took a penalty with 1:50 remaining. Timo Ropp was sent to the penalty box to cool off.

Only a few seconds remained. Austria risked everything and pulled their goalkeeper. However, this briefly caused confusion within their own ranks. France seized the opportunity, collected the loose puck and sealed the decision with the 3:1 into the empty Austrian net.

Lucas Herrnegger, Head Coach: “We lost almost every battle in the first period, but from the second period onwards we were on an even footing with France. Towards the end of the second period, we came very close to 2:1. With that lead, the game might have gone differently. Even though this defeat hurts at first, we played well for large parts of the game. Now we need to put this game behind us and focus on the next one. Great Britain will again be a game on an even footing, in which we must above all win the battles from the very start.”

Para Ice Hockey World Championship Group C

6–11 December, Bangkok/Thailand

All Austria games at the Para World Championship Group C will be streamed on LIVE.eishockey.at!

Schedule

Austria vs. France 1:3 (0:1/1:0/0:2)
Tue, 6 December 2022, 08:30 (14:30 local time)
Austria scorer: Kai Habeler (18th)

Great Britain vs. Austria
Thu, 8 December 2022, 12:00 (18:00 local time)

Austria vs. Kazakhstan
Sat, 10 December 2022, 08:30 (14:30 local time)

Thailand vs. Austria
Sun, 11 December 2022, 12:00 (18:00 local time)